Freight car door



June 14, 1932. A 5 HOME FREIGHT CAR DOOR Filed Jan. 10, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Filed Jan. 10, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 am a 2 w r Z 7 1 w -d 5 4 5% z Z K w w 5 7 ATTORNEY on the line 4-4 of Figure 2, with the'h'andle' Patented June 14, 1932 PATENT OFFICE ALEXANDER STILL HOME, OF TAMPASHORES, FLORIDA FREIGHT CAB DOOR Application filed January 10, 1931.

My present invention has reference to freight cars and is particularly directed to a sliding door for such cars.

- The primary object of the invention is the provision of a door which will effectively close the opening at the side of the car, which cannot be accidentally opened, which will not bind should the load of the car shift, which will yield when the car is subjected to vibration without opening the door, so that such vibration cannot inflict injury to the door or permit of the partial opening thereof and which may be readily slid to open position.

The invention will be fully and comprehensively understood from a consideration of the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings which form part of the application, with the understanding, however, that the improvement is capable of extended application and is not confined to the exact showing of the drawings nor to the precise construction described and, therefore, such changes and modifications may be made therefrom as do not afieot the spirit of the invention nor exceed the scope thereof as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a sufficient portion of a car to illustrate the application of my improvement thereon.

Figure 2 is a detail enlarged elevation with parts in section showing the arrangement of the elements on the lower edge of the door and the handle drawn to operative position to either open or close the door.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view approximately on the line 33 of Figure 1, with the handle in the position disclosed by Figure 2.

Figure 4 1s a sectional vlew approximately in inoperative position.

Figure 5 is a detail view to illustrate the manner in which the handle is held when swung to operative position on its shaft.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary elevation to disclose the manner in which the handle is latched by the seal.

Serial No. 507,939.

Figure 7 is an end view thereof.

Referring now to the drawings in detail the numeral 1 designates one side of a freight car. The car is of the usual construction and is provided on its side with a doorway or opening 2, that is normally closed by a sliding door 3. The door also is of the ordinary construction, but the said door, at the top and bottom thereof is provided with preferably equidistantly spaced sockets 4L and depressions 5 that communicate centrally with the sockets, the said depressions re ceiving therein pins or rods 6 that are fixedly secured to rails 7. Surrounding the pins or rods 6 having their outer portions received in the sockets 4t and exerting a pressure against the rails 7 there are helical springs 8. Each of the tracks 7 is preferably formed with side flanges that are arranged over the opposite faces at the upper and lower edges of the door 3 while the outer faces of the said rails are provided with toothed racks 9 and these racks are engaged by pinions 10 which have their stub shafts 11 fixed in the upper and lower longitudinal frame members of the car 1. V

The toothed rack on the lower rail 7 has its teeth engaged by a toothed wheel 12. The toothed wheel 12 is enclosed by a suitable casing 13 and in this connection it is to be stated that while not disclosed by the drawings the pinions 10 are preferably covered by suitable plates. The casing 13 is formed, upon what I will term its rear side with spaced lugs 14: between which is pivoted the ceived in a bearing member 18 that is fixedly secured to one of the side floor beams 19 of the car 1. The hub of the wheel 12 has a round bore in which is received the cross seetionally round longitudinal arm 20 of a crank handle 21. The end of the arm 20 is bifurcated or slotted and the sides thereof are formed with alining angle slots 22. Through these slots there is passed a pivot 23 that is received in thetongue end 24 of a rod or shaft 25 that projects through the bore of the hub portion 17 and has its outer end preferably threaded for the reception of a nut that contacts with a washer 26. The washer affords a bearing for one end of a helical spring 27, and the second end of the spring being in contact with a ring member 28 that is fixed on the hub and contacts with the bearing to hold the hub therein. The ring member has a square bore or opening 28 that alines with a similar opening 1? in the hub 17. The shaft 25 has fixed thereon or integrally formed therewith a cross sectionally square lug projection 25 to be received through the squared bore 28 of the ring 28 and in the squared bore 17 of the hub 17 when the handle is drawn outwardly and swung to operative position as will pressently be described. The outer end of the handle 21 provided with a slot The handle is normally influenced inwardly in the direction of the toothed wheel 12 by the spring 27 and is designed to be brought into the forl: 16. L he arms of the forlr are slotted and passing through these slots and through the slot 29 of the handle 21 there is a seal 30' which prevents the outward movement of the handle and prevents the opening of the door.

When the door is to be opened the seal is removed, the handle drawn outwardly to bring the lug 25 into the squared bore 17 of the hub 17. The arm 20 of the handle is swung rightangularly on the pin 23 as best disclosed by Figure 5 of the drawings. The pin 23 enters the narrow end opening of the angle slots 22 and by turning the handle the toothed wheel 12 will be likewise rotated which engaging with the racks on the rails 7 permit of the door being readily slid to open position. The pinions 10 provide what may be termed the tracks for the door. By freely mounting the door between the flanges 31 of the tracks and providing the springs 8 between the channeled portions of the tracks and the upper and lower edges of the door it will be apparent that the door can move vertically in either an upward or downward'direction when the car is subjected to undue vibration without inflicting injury to the door. Also it will be noted that should the contents of the car shift against the door the weight thereof will have no effect upon the free opening of the door and likewise such weight cannot tend to move the door to partly open position as the said door is effectively locked by the engagement of the toothed wheel with the lower rack 9. The teeth of the wheel and the teeth of the lower rack are of such length that the upward vertical movement of the door will not bring these teeth out of engagement with each other. The sides 31 of the channeled body portions of the tracks are received in grooves 32 at the opposite sides of the door as best disclosed by Figure 3 of the drawings and it is thought the foregoing description will fully and clearly set forth the construction and advantages of the invention to those skilled in the art to which such invention relates without further detailed description.

The improvement is designed for use in connection with both wooden and metal cars and suitable provisions are to be made for the Water-proofing of the door and the opening therefor as well as buffer means with which the door contacts when in both open and closed positions. Also the door will be rendered sift-proof and spark-proof when closed and means, of course, are provided for preventing the door from running ofi its track.

Having described the invention I claim:

1. In a sliding door for freight cars having rails on the upper and lower edges thereof, spring influenced means for forcing the rails away from the door, a rack bar on the outer face of each rail, pinions on the car engaging the rack bar, and an operating toothed wheel also engaging the lower rack bar.

2. In a sliding door for freight cars having rails on the upper and lower edges thereof, spring influenced means for forcing the rails away from the door, a rack bar on the outer face of each rail, pinions on the car engaging the rack bar and an operating toothed wheel also engaging the lower rack bar, a housing for the toothed wheel, a slidable handle comprising oint-ed sections for the toothed wheel,

'interengaging means between one of the handle sections and the wheel when the handle is moved outwardly to operative position and spring means for normally holding the handle in inoperative position.

3. In a sliding door for freight cars having rails on the upper and lower edges thereof, spring influenced means for forcing the rails away from the door, a rack bar on the outer face of each rail, pinions on the car engaging the rack bar and an operating toothed wheel also engaging the lower rack bar, a housing for the toothed wheel, a slidable handle com prising jointed sections for the toothed wheel, interengaging means between one of the handle sections and the wheel when the handle is moved outwardly to operative position and spring means for normally holding the handle in inoperative position and means for locking the handle in its last named position.

4. A freight car and a slidable door therefor, rails adjacent to the upper and lower edges of the door, and comprising channeled members whose sides embrace the sides of the door, spring means between the rails and door for influencing the rails away from the door, toothed racks upon the outer faces of the rails, pinions journaled on the car frame and engaging the racks, a toothed vwheel engaging with the lower rack, a two part pivotally connected handle slidable through the toothed wheel, spring influenced means for normally forcing the handle toward the toothed wheel, the hub of the said wheel having a squared bore and the inner handle section having a squared lug to be received in the bore when the handle is in operative position, a housing for the wheel, and a seal for locking the handle to the housing.

5. A freight car and a slidable door therefor, rails adjacent to the upper and lower edges of the door and comprising channeled members whose sides embrace the sides of the door, spring means between the rails and door for influencing the rails away from the door, toothed racks upon the outer faces of the rails, pinions journaled on the car frame and engaging with the racks, a toothed wheel engaging with the lower rack, a two part pivotally connected handle slidable through the toothed wheel, spring influenced means for normally forcing the handle toward the toothed wheel, the hub of the said wheel having a squared bore and the inner handle section having a squared lug to be received in the bore when the handle is in operative position, one of the handle sections being bifurcated and provided with angle slots, the other handle section having a tongue received in the bifurcation, a pin passing through the angle slots and through the tongue, a housing for the toothed wheel having a swinga-ble forked member thereon, and the outer angle end of the housing designed to be received in 1 the fork when in inoperative position, and a seal for holding the handle in the fork.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ALEXANDER S. HOME. 

